Boat hull cleaning device

A one-man manually operable device for cleaning marine growth from submerged portions of a boat hull, comprising,

• an elongated sheet of relatively thin material having a substantial length to width ratio, and having opposite surfaces thereon and opposite proximate and distal ends along the length thereof, wherein said strip is of a length to extend a substantial distance downwardly along the side of a boat hull from a point at the upper edge thereof,
• one said sheet surface having scrubbing material affixed thereto over substantially the entirety thereof between said sheet ends,
• the opposite said sheet surface having a plurality of discrete floats affixed thereto at spaced points along the length thereof between the sheet ends,
• handle means for manipulation and underwater extension of said sheet and said distal end thereof,
• said handle means being a single elongated operator's handle affixed only to and extending from one proximate sheet end, with said distal end being free of any operating handle means thereon,
• said sheet having sufficient rigidity in a direction along its length so as to permit ready manual manipulation by said single handle of said sheet in the water proximate to a boat hull to position the said distal sheet end at a furthermost distance of said sheet from said handle at a desired location with respect to said hull notwithstanding inherent forces on said sheet to fold and buckle the sheet by buoyancy of said floats as said sheet is manually inserted and immersed downwardly in water, and,
• said sheet having sufficient flexibility to permit limited bending thereof in a direction parallel to the sheet width in response to buoyant float forces thereon when submerged, thereby to permit said sheet to substantially accommodate curvature of the boat hull,
• whereby when said sheet is submerged into water adjacent a boat hull with said one sheet surface scrubbing material proximate the boat hull, said handle and said sheet rigidity permitting desired positioning of said sheet and distal sheet end for cleaning a hull area, and said floats effect limited flexing thereof under buoyant pressure so as to substantially conform said sheet along its length to curvature of said boat hull thereby to place said scrubbing material in contact with said hull, whereby manual manipulation of said handle to reciprocate said sheet in a direction along its length will effect cleaning of said hull.